What is Agrsmmsg.exe

File description

Agrsmmsg.exe with description AGRSMMSG is a process file from company Agere Systems belonging to product Agere SoftModem Messaging Applet.
The file is
digitally signed from Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher - VeriSign Time Stamping Services Signer
We do not recommend removing digitally signed files from Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher

What is agrsmmsg.exe?
Agrsmmsg.exe is a process installed with SoftModem Assistant. Its purpose is to provide additional configuration options for Lucent AMR softmodems.

This process is not essential to the operation of the system and can safely be killed or uninstalled. Note that by disabling this process, you will be unable to access the extra configuration options for your modem and possibly be unable to connect at all. If you do not use a Lucent modem, there is no harm in uninstalling it.

Dangers of agrsmmsg
As agrsmmsg.exe is a relatively common legitimate executable with a cryptic name, it is common for virus writers and spyware vendors to disguise their malware as the genuine process.

Some malicious files may be called agrsmmsg.exe but be stored somewhere other than in %SystemRoot%. Other malware may use a name that appears similar to the name of this legitimate process but with slight differences in spelling or with appended digits. The following malware is known to disguise itself as the genuine agrsmmsg.exe:

argsmmsg.exe

This is backdoor Trojan horse that allows a remote attacker to take control of a compromised system (note that the r and the g are transposed versus the legitimate process). If you see a process running on your system with this exact spelling, it is certainly malware.

There is typically only one instance of this process running at a given time on a system. The presence of multiple instances of argsmmsg.exe may be an indicator of a malware infection.

Common problems

Connection is slow while agrsmmsg.exe is running

This is a reported issue for which there is no known solution. Try killing agrsmmsg.exe or uninstalling SoftModem Assistant. If your connection does not work without SoftModem Assistant installed, try reinstalling your modem driver and SoftModem Assistant.

Agrsmmsg.exe uses excessive amounts of CPU

Try reinstalling your modem drivers and SoftModem Assistant. If that does not solve the problem, try uninstalling SoftModem Assistant.